Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

This was a great sequel and I hope there are more to come. This book involves an update from MONCHA that has changed how Lacey's mom behaves. This leads to questions about what the company is really doing and when trying to stop them. But when Jinx is missing in action, all Lacey has is her level 1 beetle to help her, and her friends, of course.

I loved this second book in the Jinxed series. My kids love when I book talk this book series. This is a great way to encourage engineering skills or STEAM/STEAM.

I read Jinxed via Netgalley and loved it. I was excited for the sequel and was so happy to be able to read it. I loved the return of sassy Jinx and Lacy is just as smart and unsure as ever. It goes to show that a person can be technically brilliant and still have a lot of growing to do.

We jump into another mystery when Lacy is expelled from school under mysterious circumstances and has to adapt to life without Jinx. When Lacy and her friends realize that Monica Chan, leader of Moncha Corp is missing and Eric Smith has taken over and it's a disaster. Lacy and her friends embark on another adventure as Lacy's memory comes back piece by piece.

'Unleashed' is the second part of Amy McCulloch's brilliant duology which began last year with 'Jinxed'. I was very excited to read this and I wasn't disappointed! It was great to return to the world of Monchaville and to see all my favourite characters again.

I loved the first novel in this series, Jinxed. So, I was definitely on board for this follow up!

Jinx is a baku...a personalized smart pet. Lacey Chu loves her baku very much, even though she really isn't supposed to have Jinx. She found and repaired him. (Read the first book!) MONCHU the company that builds baku is up to some shady things. At the end of the first book, Lacey was in trouble...and the situation gets even more tense in Unleashed. Can Lacey and her friends prevent MONCHU from succeeding in its sinister plans?

I absolutely LOVE the idea of a fully customizable smart pet! I would own a Jinx in a heartbeat (don't tell my dogs & cats...)!

This book closes out the Jinx duology. Excellent, cute and exciting books for middle grade readers (and adults, too!).

I can't wait to read what Amy McCulloch writes next! Children's books are such a wonderful escape for me -- and Lord knows after the last year, I needed escape! These stories about Lacey and her baku Jinx fit the bill perfectly!

Full stars from me! Fun, entertaining and wonderful!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book....and immediately bought the audio book when it came out! :) All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

The story is so refreshing and the idea of bakus really blew my mind and made me wish I had one ( my clumsy forgetful self could benefit from having one in my life - someone please get tinkering and make them reality :)) ).

Anyway, Unleashed picks up where Jinxed left. We discover what happened to Lacey after she parts with Jinx and once she recovers her memories she figures out Eric`s wicked plans. Getting Team Tobias and Zora back together trying to come up with a plan to save everyone.

Once again we see that every little helps and how a bunch of kids can make anything happen if they unite and put their minds at work. We`ve been reminded of it all through 2020 so I guess this made my heart warm.

I don`t wanna spoil any more of the book, but I really, really recommend picking up this duology. It has great adventures, amazing friendships and a bunch of geeky teenagers starting a revolution and saving their world...couldn`t recommend it enough!!

A nice ending that closes this duology well!

I really liked how the action takes a much more decisive turn in this second volume: we see the much darker side of technology and its power, and it's pretty cool to discover, because quite realistic.
On the other hand, I was quite surprised by the lack of reactions from the adults who, apart from the antagonists, are quite absent or passive throughout the story ... which seems to me not very credible, even if I understand the idea that this is the children who discover "the ruse".

In short, a good conclusion, which made me spend a great time reading! ^^

Unleashed is the sequel to Jinxed by Amy McCulloch. When Lacey Chu wakes up in a hospital room with no recollection of how she got there, she knows something is up. But with her customizable smart pet, Jinx, missing in action and Moncha, the company behind the invention of the robot pet, up to something seriously sinister, she’s got a lot of figuring out to do. Lacey must use all her engineering skills if she has a chance of stopping Moncha from carrying out their plans. But can she take on the biggest tech company in North America armed with only a level 1 robot beetle?

Unleashed is a thrilling sequel to Jinxed. It took me a little while to remember the details on the first book. But, the efforts of Lacey to remember exactly how she ended up in the hospital was an organic and well used tool to remind readers of what they read previously. I thought the mystery, technology, and conspiracy was all very well written and I spent most of the book trying to puzzle out who was going to be on the right side at the end of the book. As important as all that is to the story, we also get some great character development for Lacey and some of the other characters, and a few surprises along the way. I really enjoyed the read, and had to stop myself from shouting 'No' or other instructions to the characters more than once. My only disappointment is that this story is over, because I would love to know more about where everyone goes from here.

Unleashed is exactly what I needed to conclude this duology.

A principio del año pasado leí Jinxed y fue una lectura divertida en la que pensé en bastantes ocasiones así que no pude pasar la oportunidad de leer la conclusión gracias a la editorial y a netgalley.

Estoy muy contenta como terminó toda la aventura de Jinx y Lacey. La relación entre estos dos me sigue encantando y me gustó el elemento de aventura que tiene esta historia. Además todo se resuelve bien, se da cierre a todos los cabos que había por ahí.

Lo único de lo que me faltó más fue la creciente relación entre Lacey y Tobias pero si me agradó que todo fuera muy real y nada se sintiera forzado.

Me gustaría leer más libros de esta autora.

Lacey Chu wakes up in a hospital room with no memory of how she got there. Her baku, her personal digital pet, is missing. After Lacey is discharged from the hospital, her mother starts behaving strangely and doesn’t remember their previous conversations. Then, Lacey is expelled from her elite school. An update to everyone’s bakus, which are run by the company MONCHA, is reprogramming the way people think. Now no one can see the problems with this company taking over everything. Lacey and her friends have to take on MONCHA on their own to save everyone from being reprogrammed by this software update.

This story was very timely with the way that the young students had to stand up to make a change in the real world. Lacey is the one who figured out what was happening with their bakus and how to fix them. Her and her friends had the courage to stand up to a large corporation, and since they were underestimated by the leaders, they were more successful than the adults who went against the company.

Lacey is an inspiring character. She’s very smart and determined to do what’s right. She had to go through some tough challenges, such as when her dad left suddenly when she was a kid and when her mom started acting strangely after getting the update from the company. Lacey also had to be creative with figuring out how to get around the update that would remove her memory of what was going on. She was a fast thinker and strong character.

This is a great conclusion to the Jinxed series!

Thank you Sourcebooks Young Readers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unleashed by Amy McCulloch 4 stars

A sequel to 2019 "Jinxed", we find the main character, Lacey Chu recovering in the hospital. She has been unconscious for almost a month. Her cat baku - Jinx is missing and she has suffered some memory loss. For those who don't know "baku" are like cellphones on steroids. They can access messages, schedule your life, provide entertainment and companionship. They are powered by the people they are connected to (that will be an important fact to remember in this book). Lacey has to recover her lost memories, avoid her adversaries and complete her mission to rescue Monica Chan, the founder of Moncha and creator of the baku.

This is one book that demands you read the first book in the duology. If you don't you will be totally lost about the plot and motivations of the characters. This book was action packed, but started a little slow in the beginning. Lacey has friends to help her in this mission, but ultimately it is Lacey and Jinx that have to finish the job. This is a middle school book, but it has a lot to offer for any adult that reads this book. Maybe I am reading too much into this, but it feels like a commentary on the prevalence of tech in everyday life and a persons dependence on it. I could almost see a hint of "The Matrix" as an inspiration for this book. I enjoyed this book and look forward to the author's next book.

Thank you Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Kids for this ARC.

ARc Copy...At first I was reluctant to invest in "techno-topian" narratives because they tend to romanticize technology and the companies behind them, but I did like that both the dark and light sides of the mentioned is presented as the protagonist realizes. It's debatable if the villain would be able to getaway with his plan that late a stage unless literally no one stood in his way, and things like private corporate armies + massive secret bases is even legal. I did like that what saves the day is not just the protagonist + co's skills but also masses of kids who relay to the cause. Although, I thought it would have been better for the narrative to point out that adults were involved in the citizen's action during climax to make feel more like "the people" are revolting and what exactly happens to villain after as a result of his actions is said.

I find it interesting in terms of real life parallels that yep real life updates are a pain at times, things like smart phones tech are so ingrained into modern society so much there is no going back, and "Moncha" does feel like Apple in many in terms of the "hip stores", overwhelming presence in the modern world, a corporate rival and the "closed garden" + retail monopoly criticism.

Thank you to NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS Kids, and Amy McCulloch for the opportunity to read Unleashed in exchange for an honest review.

Unleashed is the sequel to Jinxed and concludes the duology. This book takes place about a month after the events of the first book. While the first book had a large focus on school and baku battles, with an integration of a major corrupt corporation conflict, this novel really takes the conflict to the next level. (Reminder: bakus are basically computers in the forms of finely crafted mechanic animals).

Lacey Chu awakens from a mysterious coma. Jinx is gone, and she is stuck with her beetle baku that she doesn't really like. When trying to return to school, Lacey is not welcome. Not only does she lack a level three of higher baku, but her acceptance into the school was initially hacked by Jinx.

Returning to St. Agnes, Lacey is reunited with her best friend, Zora, but still has the love and backing of her Profectus friends. Lacey knows there is something devious going on at Moncha Corp when her mother worries about her when she returns from the hospital and is completely indifferent the next day after her mom's butterfly baku updated. The leader of Moncha Corp, Monica Chan, has been missing for months. Eric Smith, her business partner, has completely taken over the company and has some devious plans of his own. After her coma, Lacey's memory is a bit dicey, but she remembers coming across a seemingly brainwashed Monica in the Moncha Corp HQ. When Lacey and her friends learn she has been moved, she makes it her goal to find Monica and save the corporation. Not only do the people need Monica back in power, but Eric is launching a sinister update with the guise of happiness, but it destroys peoples' ambitions and is basically a form of mind control.

It's up to Lacey and her friends to find Monica, stop the mind-controlling update, and save the world. The problem is finding out who they can trust and who can viably help solve this problem.

While this book takes a bit of a different direction than the first, it is still well-written and impossible to put down. This is an amazing duology and I wish there were more to it, but it also ended just right. This has been a fun journey and I recommend this to anyone, absolutely.

I was really happy and surprised when I got this book sent to me by the publisher on Netgalley! Big thank you!

I really loved the first book. I mean I saw the first cellphones and I grew up with the pokemons.. anyone of my age would dream of having a Baku! This story is a month after the end of the other one and we continue the journey. I honestly think it’s even better than the first one.. somehow even if you always feel you never have enough Jinx.. :) Lacey is really strong character and I’m happy that she is following her own path now.

I’m Canadian (Quebec) so it’s was amazing to read about my country and places that I know. It’s a rare thing for us. I squeaked when I read about Montreal.. Gatineau.. Ottawa lol

I’m sad that this journey is over but I’m glad I was a part of it. This is the perfect middle grade/preteen book. Adventure, friendship, technology and more.. I just loved it, some parts my heart broke but in a good way.

And the end 😱❤️

I’m gonna recommend this book and the first one as well in both my bookclub. I know a few who will enjoy this duology.

Very Much A Book Two

This is the second and final book in the "Jinxed" series. I enjoyed the first book very much, and while this second volume is lighter, somehow younger feeling, and fairly predictable, it does not disappoint.

That said, this is very much a followup book and I suggest that the series should be read in order. We open just after the point at which the first book ended. Our heroine has amnesia, which allows for the events of the previous book to be reintroduced and summarized as she recovers her memories. That works well for a reader who needs a bit of a refresher on what happened in book one. I don't think it's necessarily enough to get a brand new reader fully into the story.

Having to start with book one is fine, though, because the first book was best at setting up the whole idea of bakus, the Moncha corporate scheming, and the heroine and her gang of pals. While book one was more of a STEM, techy, schooldaze sort of book, this one is basically a crooked, evil corporation thriller. Since the main appeal of this series for me was the tech background and the baku culture, the switch to predictable and easily resolved thriller action didn't grab me.

So, you could probably just read book one and then fill in your own ending. But this second book still has some tricks up its sleeve, still features an engaging heroine and cast of characters, and does put us firmly back into the world of bakus and Moncha's machinations, so it's certainly worth a read for "Jinxed" fans.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

This was an exciting, fast-paced sequel that I thoroughly enjoyed. While I missed the battles reminiscent of pokémon featured in Jinx, the thrilling conspiracies and fast-paced plot were incredible. I loved Jinx, but was disappointed that he was featured to a lesser extent in this book. Would highly recommend this duology to those who love pokémon and robotics.


Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Kids and to NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Amy McCulloch's middle grade novel Jinxed absolutely charmed me when I read a galley late last year. When the publisher offered me a early chance to read the sequel Unleashed, via NetGalley, I jumped at the chance.

In this near-future science fiction setting, people don't simply have phones at hand, they have a baku--essentially, a computer that looks like an animal or insect, acting as their personal assistant and ready source of knowledge and connections. In the first book, bright young engineer Lacey Chu finds a battered cat baku and brings it back to life, not realizing until too late that this is a revolutionary new baku that escaped from the company she idolizes, Moncha. Of course, mischief ensues--she finds the cat, named Jinx, isn't a more robot, but sentient and full of snark, and that Moncha has a definite evil and ambitious side. That really comes to a head in the sequel, when she discovers that Moncha wants to make its users happy--at all costs.

I loved this book. It's a breezy, fast read that is full of action, realistic and complicated characters, and moral dilemmas that are addressed in non-preachy ways that will make readers of all ages stop and think. I did find Lacey's amnesia at the start of the book to be a bit too convenient a literary device, but fortunately, she works through that quickly. As ever, I adore Jinx. I want a Jinx of my own. I really appreciated how Lacey's connection with her school bully develops in surprising ways, too. These books have genuine depth while staying fun all the while.

Unleashed comes out on January 5th, 2021. Be sure to read Jinxed first so you can fully enjoy the full arc of this duology.

I really enjoyed Jinxed and this is a solid sequel. I handsell Jinxed to any kid who likes Pokemon or robots. I wish the publishing how wasn't pushing this book so hard as good for girls who like STEM because it makes it hard to sell to boys. One thing I don't like about this author's writing style is the way she labels characters' feelings instead of showing them, but that's a personal preference. If this is the real end to this series, I would have liked a more fleshed out epilogue, but maybe there will be more.

I said it before, and I'll say it again: I want Jinx. Don't get me wrong, I love my cats and wouldn't trade them, but one that can talk to me? Help me with work? Keep my calendar, etc.? Yes, please.

This is one of those sequels where not reading the first would be a problem. Understanding the world is easy, but the relationships between characters and the mystery of what happened to Monica Chan and what's going on with the bakus isn't. It also brings up questions about ethical uses of technology at a level that the target readers will easily understand.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.